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BORDERS-based SNP MSP Paul Wheelhouse has said new funding from the Scottish Government will help provide targeted support for care-experienced young people in the Borders.
Scottish Borders Council has been handed £159,600 to invest in projects designed to boost the attainment of local care-experienced children and young people.
The Council will work with senior officers in its Social Work and Education teams to decide how this year’s funding will be used. Care experienced young people from birth up to the age of 26 are eligible for the support.
Across Scotland, the SNP Government has pledged £11.6 million to support the fund.
Commenting, Mr Wheelhouse said:
“My colleagues and I in the SNP are determined to give all young people the best start in life, to try to ensure that every young person has a fair chance in life, and so I am keen that the Scottish Government does what it can, within its powers, to make this a reality.
“The challenges posed by this pandemic mean that the Scottish Government’s efforts to tackle the attainment gap are now more important than ever.
“That’s why I’m delighted to hear that Scottish Borders Council will receive this funding boost to help break down the barriers faced by care experienced young people living in the Borders.
“Last year the fund was used to support a host of projects - from outdoor learning schemes, to providing looked after children with laptops to study from home.
“I look forward to seeing how the Council will put this money to good use locally, fully in line with the spirit in which it is given and in line with the Scottish Government’s aims. In doing so, the Council can offer some of our most disadvantaged young people the support they deserve and which, sadly, all too often in the past they have not received.”
ENDS